Asset transfers between interactive social games

ABSTRACT

A method and system to transfer assets between interactive social games is described. In some embodiments, the method generates a visual expression of a transfer mechanism in a first computer-implemented game. The method further generates the visual expression of the transfer mechanism in a second computer-implemented game. The transfer mechanism is capable of transferring an in-game asset from the first computer-implemented game to the second computer-implemented game. The method transfers the in-game asset from the first computer-implemented game to the second computer-implemented game using the transfer mechanism.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present disclosure generally relates to games and applications ingeneral and, in particular embodiments, to computer-implemented, onlinesocial games.

BACKGROUND

Many games include various types of in-game assets that a player canobtain for use within the game. For example, a player may acquire gamepoints, gold coins, experience points, character levels, characterattributes, virtual cash, game keys, tools, energy or other in-gameitems of value. In many games, there are also various types of in-gameobstacles that a player needs to overcome to advance within the game.In-game obstacles can include tasks, puzzles, opponents, levels, gates,actions, and so forth. In some games, a goal of the game includesacquiring certain in-game assets, which are then used to completein-game tasks or to overcome certain in-game obstacles.

An electronic social networking system typically operates with one ormore social networking servers providing interaction between users suchthat a particular user can specify other users of the social networkingsystem as “friends.” A collection of users and the “friend” connectionsbetween users can form a social graph that can be traversed to findadditional connections between users, much like a graph of nodesconnected by edges can be traversed.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Some embodiments are illustrated by way of example and not limitation inthe figures of the accompanying drawings.

FIG. 1 illustrates an example of a system for implementing particulardisclosed embodiments.

FIG. 2 illustrates an example social network.

FIG. 3 illustrates an example environment in which multiple playersparticipate in different games supported by a gaming system.

FIG. 4 illustrates an example in-game asset transfer between players oftwo different games.

FIG. 5 is a flow diagram of a method, in accordance with an embodiment,of transferring an in-game asset between two different games.

FIG. 6 is a flow diagram of a method, in accordance with an embodiment,of using an in-game virtual train to transfer in-game assets between twodifferent games.

FIG. 7 is a flow diagram of a method, in accordance with an embodiment,of providing an in-game asset to a user based on game play activity.

FIG. 8 illustrates an example data flow in a system.

FIG. 9 illustrates an example network environment.

FIG. 10 illustrates an example computing system architecture.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Example systems and methods to transfer assets between interactivesocial games are described. In the following description, for purposesof explanation, numerous specific details are set forth in order toprovide a thorough understanding of example embodiments. It will beevident, however, to one skilled in the art that the described systemsand methods may be practiced without these specific details.

The systems and methods described herein allow players to transferin-game assets to other players playing different games. An in-gameasset refers to any in-game item, skill, capability or othergame-related element that has value in at least one game. Further, anin-game asset may include an in-game item, skill, capability or othergame-related element that is useful or has utility in at least one game.Example in-game assets include game points, gold coins, experiencepoints, character levels, character attributes, virtual cash, game keys,tools, vehicles, structures, energy, fuel, food or other in-game itemsof value, usefulness or utility. A particular in-game asset may havevalue in any number of different games, although the value may vary fromone game to another. For example, a particular farming tool may havegreater value in a farming game than in a building development game.

FIG. 1 illustrates an example of a system for implementing variousdisclosed embodiments. In particular embodiments, system 100 comprisesplayer 101, social networking system 120 a, game networking system 120b, client system 130, and network 160. The components of system 100 canbe connected to each other in any suitable configuration, using anysuitable type of connection. The components may be connected directly orover a network 160, which may be any suitable network. For example, oneor more portions of network 160 may be an ad hoc network, an intranet,an extranet, a virtual private network (VPN), a local area network(LAN), a wireless LAN (WLAN), a wide area network (WAN), a wireless WAN(WWAN), a metropolitan area network (MAN), a portion of the Internet, aportion of the Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN), a cellulartelephone network, another type of network, or a combination of two ormore such networks.

Social networking system 120 a is a network-addressable computing systemthat can host one or more social graphs. Social networking system 120 acan generate, store, receive, and transmit social networking data.Social networking system 120 a can be accessed by the other componentsof system 100 either directly or via network 160. Game networking system120 b is a network-addressable computing system that can host one ormore online games. Game networking system 120 b can generate, store,receive, and transmit game-related data, such as, for example, gameaccount data, game input, game state data, and game displays. Gamenetworking system 120 b can be accessed by the other components ofsystem 100 either directly or via network 160. Player 101 may use clientsystem 130 to access, send data to, and receive data from socialnetworking system 120 a and game networking system 120 b. Client system130 can access social networking system 120 a or game networking system120 b directly, via network 160, or via a third-party system. As anexample and not by way of limitation, client system 130 may access gamenetworking system 120 b via social networking system 120 a. Clientsystem 130 can be any suitable computing device, such as a personalcomputer, laptop, cellular phone, smart phone, computing tablet, and thelike.

Although FIG. 1 illustrates a particular number of players 101, socialnetworking systems 120 a, game networking systems 120 b, client systems130, and networks 160, this disclosure contemplates any suitable numberof players 101, social networking systems 120 a, game networking systems120 b, client systems 130, and networks 160. As an example and not byway of limitation, system 100 may include one or more game networkingsystems 120 b and no social networking systems 120 a. As another exampleand not by way of limitation, system 100 may include a system thatcomprises both social networking system 120 a and game networking system120 b. Moreover, although FIG. 1 illustrates a particular arrangement ofplayer 101, social networking system 120 a, game networking system 120b, client system 130, and network 160, this disclosure contemplates anysuitable arrangement of player 101, social networking system 120 a, gamenetworking system 120 b, client system 130, and network 160.

The components of system 100 may be connected to each other using anysuitable connections 110. For example, suitable connections 110 includewireline (such as, for example, Digital Subscriber Line (DSL) or DataOver Cable Service Interface Specification (DOCSIS)), wireless (such as,for example, Wireless Fidelity (Wi-Fi) or Worldwide Interoperability forMicrowave Access (WiMAX)), or optical (such as, for example, SynchronousOptical Network (SONET) or Synchronous Digital Hierarchy (SDH))connections. In particular embodiments, one or more connections 110 eachinclude an ad hoc network, an intranet, an extranet, a VPN, a LAN, aWLAN, a WAN, a WWAN, a MAN, a portion of the Internet, a portion of thePSTN, a cellular telephone network, or another type of connection, or acombination of two or more such connections. Connections 110 need notnecessarily be the same throughout system 100. One or more firstconnections 110 may differ in one or more respects from one or moresecond connections 110. Although FIG. 1 illustrates particularconnections between player 101, social networking system 120 a, gamenetworking system 120 b, client system 130, and network 160, thisdisclosure contemplates any suitable connections between player 101,social networking system 120 a, game networking system 120 b, clientsystem 130, and network 160. As an example and not by way of limitation,in particular embodiments, client system 130 may have a directconnection to social networking system 120 a or game networking system120 b, bypassing network 160.

Online Games and Game Systems

In an online computer game, a game engine manages the game state of thegame. Game state comprises all game play parameters, including playercharacter state, non-player character (NPC) state, in-game object state,game world state (e.g., internal game clocks, game environment), andother game play parameters. Each player 101 controls one or more playercharacters (PCs). The game engine controls all other aspects of thegame, including non-player characters (NPCs), and in-game objects. Thegame engine also manages game state, including player character statefor currently active (online) and inactive (offline) players.

An online game can be hosted by game networking system 120 b, which canbe accessed using any suitable connection with a suitable client system130. A player may have a game account on game networking system 120 b,wherein the game account can contain a variety of information associatedwith the player (e.g., the player's personal information, financialinformation, purchase history, player character state, game state). Insome embodiments, a player may play multiple games on game networkingsystem 120 b, which may maintain a single game account for the playerwith respect to all the games, or multiple individual game accounts foreach game with respect to the player. In some embodiments, gamenetworking system 120 b can assign a unique identifier to each player101 of an online game hosted on game networking system 120 b. Gamenetworking system 120 b can determine that a player 101 is accessing theonline game by reading the user's cookies, which may be appended toHyperText Transfer Protocol (HTTP) requests transmitted by client system130, and/or by the player 101 logging onto the online game.

In particular embodiments, player 101 may access an online game andcontrol the game's progress via client system 130 (e.g., by inputtingcommands to the game at the client device). Client system 130 candisplay the game interface, receive inputs from player 101, transmituser inputs or other events to the game engine, and receive instructionsfrom the game engine. The game engine can be executed on any suitablesystem (such as, for example, client system 130, social networkingsystem 120 a, or game networking system 120 b). As an example and not byway of limitation, client system 130 can download client components ofan online game, which are executed locally, while a remote game server,such as game networking system 120 b, provides backend support for theclient components and may be responsible for maintaining applicationdata of the game, processing the inputs from the player, updating and/orsynchronizing the game state based on the game logic and each input fromthe player, and transmitting instructions to client system 130. Asanother example and not by way of limitation, each time player 101provides an input to the game through the client system 130 (such as,for example, by typing on the keyboard or clicking the mouse of clientsystem 130), the client components of the game may transmit the player'sinput to game networking system 120 b.

In an online multiplayer game, players may control player characters(PCs), while a game engine controls non-player characters (NPCs) andgame features. The game engine also manages player character state andgame state and tracks the state for currently active (i.e., online)players and currently inactive (i.e., offline) players. A playercharacter can have a set of attributes and a set of friends associatedwith the player character. As used herein, the term “player characterstate” can refer to any in-game characteristic of a player character,such as location, assets, levels, condition, health, status, inventory,skill set, name, orientation, affiliation, specialty, and so on. Playercharacters may be displayed as graphical avatars within a user interfaceof the game. In other implementations, no avatar or other graphicalrepresentation of the player character is displayed. Game stateencompasses the notion of player character state and refers to anyparameter value that characterizes the state of an in-game element, suchas a non-player character, a virtual object (such as a wall or castle),and so forth. The game engine may use player character state todetermine the outcome of game events, while sometimes also consideringset or random variables. Generally, a player character's probability ofhaving a more favorable outcome is greater when the player character hasa better state. For example, a healthier player character is less likelyto die in a particular encounter relative to a weaker player characteror non-player character. In some embodiments, the game engine can assigna unique client identifier to each player.

In particular embodiments, player 101 may access particular gameinstances of an online game. A game instance is a copy of a specificgame play area that is created during runtime. In particularembodiments, a game instance is a discrete game play area where one ormore players 101 can interact in synchronous or asynchronous play. Agame instance may be, for example, a level, zone, area, region,location, virtual space, or other suitable play area. A game instancemay be populated by one or more in-game objects. Each object may bedefined within the game instance by one or more variables, such as, forexample, position, height, width, depth, direction, time, duration,speed, color, and other suitable variables. A game instance may beexclusive (i.e., accessible by specific players) or non-exclusive (i.e.,accessible by any player). In particular embodiments, a game instance ispopulated by one or more player characters controlled by one or moreplayers 101 and one or more in-game objects controlled by the gameengine. When accessing an online game, the game engine may allow player101 to select a particular game instance to play from a plurality ofgame instances. Alternatively, the game engine may automatically selectthe game instance that player 101 will access. In particularembodiments, an online game comprises only one game instance that allplayers 101 of the online game can access.

In particular embodiments, a specific game instance may be associatedwith one or more specific players. A game instance is associated with aspecific player when one or more game parameters of the game instanceare associated with the specific player. As an example and not by way oflimitation, a game instance associated with a first player may be named“First Player's Play Area.” This game instance may be populated with thefirst player's PC and one or more in-game objects associated with thefirst player. In particular embodiments, a game instance associated witha specific player may only be accessible by that specific player. As anexample and not by way of limitation, a first player may access a firstgame instance when playing an online game, and this first game instancemay be inaccessible to all other players. In other embodiments, a gameinstance associated with a specific player may be accessible by one ormore other players, either synchronously or asynchronously with thespecific player's game play. As an example and not by way of limitation,a first player may be associated with a first game instance, but thefirst game instance may be accessed by all first-degree friends in thefirst player's social network. In particular embodiments, the gameengine may create a specific game instance for a specific player whenthat player accesses the game. As an example and not by way oflimitation, the game engine may create a first game instance when afirst player initially accesses an online game, and that same gameinstance may be loaded each time the first player accesses the game. Asanother example and not by way of limitation, the game engine may createa new game instance each time a first player accesses an online game,wherein each game instance may be created randomly or selected from aset of predetermined game instances.

In particular embodiments, the set of in-game actions available to aspecific player may be different in a game instance that is associatedwith that player compared to a game instance that is not associated withthat player. The set of in-game actions available to a specific playerin a game instance associated with that player may be a subset,superset, or independent of the set of in-game actions available to thatplayer in a game instance that is not associated with him. As an exampleand not by way of limitation, a first player may be associated withBlackacre Farm in an online farming game. The first player may be ableto plant crops on Blackacre Farm. If the first player accesses a gameinstance associated with another player, such as Whiteacre Farm, thegame engine may not allow the first player to plant crops in that gameinstance. However, other in-game actions may be available to the firstplayer, such as watering or fertilizing crops on Whiteacre Farm.

In particular embodiments, a game engine can interface with a socialgraph. Social graphs are models of connections between entities (e.g.,individuals, users, contacts, friends, players, player characters,non-player characters, businesses, groups, associations, concepts,etc.). These entities are considered “users” of the social graph; assuch, the terms “entity” and “user” may be used interchangeably whenreferring to social graphs herein. A social graph can have a node foreach entity and edges to represent relationships between entities. Anode in a social graph can represent any entity. In particularembodiments, a unique client identifier can be assigned to each user inthe social graph. This disclosure assumes that at least one entity of asocial graph is a player or player character in an online multiplayergame, though this disclosure includes any suitable social graph users.

The minimum number of edges needed to connect a player (or playercharacter) to another user is considered the degree of separationbetween them. For example, where the player and the user are directlyconnected (one edge), they are deemed to be separated by one degree ofseparation. The user would be a so-called “first-degree friend” of theplayer. Where the player and the user are connected through one otheruser (two edges), they are deemed to be separated by two degrees ofseparation. This user would be a so-called “second-degree friend” of theplayer. Where the player and the user are connected through N edges (orN−1 other users), they are deemed to be separated by N degrees ofseparation. This user would be a so-called “Nth-degree friend.” As usedherein, the term “friend” means only first-degree friends, unlesscontext suggests otherwise.

Within the social graph, each player (or player character) has a socialnetwork. A player's social network includes all users in the socialgraph within N_(max) degrees of the player, where N_(max) is the maximumdegree of separation allowed by the system managing the social graph(such as, for example, social networking system 120 a or game networkingsystem 120 b). In one embodiment, N_(max) equals 1, such that theplayer's social network includes only first-degree friends. In anotherembodiment, N_(max) is unlimited and the player's social network iscoextensive with the social graph.

In particular embodiments, the social graph is managed by gamenetworking system 120 b, which is managed by the game operator. In otherembodiments, the social graph is part of a social networking system 120a managed by a third-party (e.g., Facebook, Friendster, Myspace). In yetother embodiments, player 101 has a social network on both gamenetworking system 120 b and social networking system 120 a, whereinplayer 101 can have a social network on the game networking system 120 bthat is a subset, superset, or independent of the player's socialnetwork on social networking system 120 a. In such combined systems,game network system 120 b can maintain social graph information withedge type attributes that indicate whether a given friend is an “in-gamefriend,” an “out-of-game friend,” or both. The various embodimentsdisclosed herein are operable when the social graph is managed by socialnetworking system 120 a, game networking system 120 b, or both.

FIG. 2 shows an example of a social network within a social graph. Asshown, Player 201 can be associated, connected or linked to variousother users, or “friends,” within the social network 200. Theseassociations, connections or links can track relationships between userswithin the social network 200 and are commonly referred to as online“friends” or “friendships” between users. Each friend or friendship in aparticular user's social network within a social graph is commonlyreferred to as a “node.” For purposes of illustration and not by way oflimitation, the details of social network 200 will be described inrelation to Player 201. As used herein, the terms “player” and “user”can be used interchangeably and can refer to any user or character in anonline multiuser game system or social networking system. As usedherein, the term “friend” can mean any node within a player's socialnetwork.

As shown in FIG. 2, Player 201 has direct connections with severalfriends. When Player 201 has a direct connection with anotherindividual, that connection is referred to as a first-degree friend. Insocial network 200, Player 201 has two first-degree friends. That is,Player 201 is directly connected to Friend 1₁ 211 and Friend 2₁ 221. Ina social graph, it is possible for individuals to be connected to otherindividuals through their first-degree friends (i.e., friends offriends). As described above, each edge necessary to connect a player toanother user is considered the degree of separation. For example, FIG. 2shows that Player 201 has three second-degree friends to which he isconnected via his connection to his first-degree friends. Second-degreeFriend 1₂ 212 and Friend 2₂ 222 are connected to Player 201 via hisfirst-degree Friend 1₁ 211. Second-degree Friend 3₂ 232 is connected toPlayer 201 via his first-degree Friend 2₁ 221. The limit on the depth offriend connections, or the number of degrees of separation forassociations, that Player 201 is allowed is typically dictated by therestrictions and policies implemented by social networking system 120 a.

In various embodiments, Player 201 can have Nth-degree friends connectedto him through a chain of intermediary degree friends as indicated inFIG. 2. For example, Nth-degree Friend 1_(N) 219 is connected to Player201 via second-degree Friend 3₂ 232 and one or more other higher-degreefriends. Various embodiments may utilize the distinction between thevarious degrees of friendship relative to Player 201.

In particular embodiments, a player (or player character) can have asocial graph within an online multiplayer game that is maintained by thegame engine and another social graph maintained by a separate socialnetworking system. FIG. 2 depicts an example of in-game social network260 and out-of-game social network 250. In this example, Player 201 hasout-of-game connections 255 to a plurality of friends, formingout-of-game social network 250. Here, Friend 1₁ 211 and Friend 2₁ 221are first-degree friends with Player 201 in his out-of-game socialnetwork 250. Player 201 also has in-game connections 265 to a pluralityof players, forming in-game social network 260. Here, Friend 2₁ 221,Friend 3₁ 231, and Friend 4₁ 241 are first-degree friends with Player201 in his in-game social network 260. Additionally, Friend 4₂ 242 is asecond-degree friend with Player 201 in the in-game social network 260.In some embodiments, it is possible for a friend to be in both theout-of-game social network 250 and the in-game social network 260. Here,Friend 2₁ 221 has both an out-of-game connection 255 and an in-gameconnection 265 with Player 201, such that Friend 2₁ 221 is in bothPlayer 201's in-game social network 260 and Player 201's out-of-gamesocial network 250.

As with other social networks, Player 201 can have second-degree andhigher-degree friends in both his in-game and out of game socialnetworks. In some embodiments, it is possible for Player 201 to have afriend connected to him both in his in-game and out-of-game socialnetworks, wherein the friend is at different degrees of separation ineach network. For example, if Friend 2₂ 222 had a direct in-gameconnection with Player 201, Friend 2₂ 222 would be a second-degreefriend in Player 201's out-of-game social network, but a first-degreefriend in Player 201's in-game social network. In particularembodiments, a game engine can access in-game social network 260,out-of-game social network 250, or both.

In particular embodiments, the connections in a player's in-game socialnetwork can be formed both explicitly (e.g., users “friend” each other)and implicitly (e.g., the system observes user behaviors and “friends”users to each other). Unless otherwise indicated, reference to a friendconnection between two or more players can be interpreted to cover bothexplicit and implicit connections, using one or more social graphs andother factors to infer friend connections. The friend connections can beunidirectional or bidirectional. It is also not a limitation of thisdescription that two players who are deemed “friends” for the purposesof this disclosure are not friends in real life (i.e., indisintermediated interactions or the like), but that could be the case.

FIG. 3 illustrates an example environment 300 in which multiple players(also referred to as “users”) participate in different games supportedby a gaming system. In the example of FIG. 3, a gaming system 302supports two games (labeled “Game 1” and “Game 2”). Each game has itsown rules, objectives, assets and activities that govern the manner inwhich the game is played. For example, Game 1 may be associated withdeveloping a city or community while Game 2 is associated with buildinga military organization to fight virtual enemies. The different gamesmay be developed by the same entity or developed by different entities.Further, the different games may be facilitated (or implemented) by acommon entity or by different entities.

As shown in FIG. 3, multiple players 304 are playing Game 1 and multipleplayers 306 are playing Game 2. In particular embodiments, any number ofplayers can play a specific game. Further, players may actively playmore than one game. For example, one or more players 304 playing Game 1may also be playing Game 2 as well as any number of other games (notshown).

Players 304 and 306 may interact with gaming system 302 using any deviceand any communication mechanism supported by gaming system 302. Inparticular embodiments, players 304 and 306 interact with gaming system302 using a computing device, such as a personal computer, laptop,cellular phone, smart phone, computing tablet, game console, set topbox, portable entertainment device, and the like. Players 304 and 306may communicate with gaming system 302 through, for example, a wired orwireless communication link using any communication protocol (ormultiple communication protocols). In particular embodiments, players304 and 306 communicate with gaming system 302 through one or more datacommunication networks, such as the Internet.

As discussed herein, the example environment shown in FIG. 3 allowsplayers to transfer in-game assets to other players playing differentgames. For example, a particular player 304 playing Game 1 may transferan in-game asset from Game 1 to a particular player 306 playing Game 2.This in-game asset transfer is facilitated by gaming system 302. Inanother example, a particular player 304 playing Game 1 may transfer aspecific in-game asset to multiple players 306 playing Game 2.Additional details regarding the transfer of in-game assets betweenplayers of different games are discussed herein.

Although two games are shown in FIG. 3, in other embodiments gamingsystem 302 may support any number of different games and facilitate thetransfer of in-game assets between the different games. Further,alternate embodiments may include multiple gaming systems to supportmultiple different games. In these embodiments, the multiple gamingsystems communicate with one another, as needed, to facilitateinter-game asset transfer.

FIG. 4 illustrates an example in-game asset transfer between players oftwo different games. In the example of FIG. 4, Player 1 is playing Game1 and Player 2 is playing Game 2. Player 1 requests an in-game asset bysending an asset request to Player 2. In this example, the requestedin-game asset is something of value in Game 1 and useful to Player 1.The requested in-game asset may also have value in Game 2. For example,if the requested in-game asset is a gold coin, that in-game asset mayhave value in a variety of different games. In other situations, therequested in-game asset has value in Game 1, but does not have value inGame 2. For example, a tool used in a farming game does not have valuein a poker game. In another situation, the requested in-game asset hasmore value in Game 1 than it does in Game 2. For example, if therequested in-game asset is fuel, that in-game asset typically has morevalue in a vehicle-based game (in which the vehicles use the fuel) thanin a city development game where vehicles are a less important part ofthe game. The relevant games may be designed to promote inter-gameplayer cooperation through inter-game asset transfer. Two or more gamesmay, for example, be configured such that objects having particularvalue or utility in one game are initially found exclusively (or mostcommonly) in another game.

Player 2 receives the asset request from Player 1. In response to theasset request, Player 2 may choose to provide the requested in-gameasset to Player 1. As mentioned above, the requested in-game asset hasvalue in Game 1. In particular embodiments, Player 2 already has atleast one of the requested in-game assets as a result of playing Game 2.In this situation, Player 2 can provide one of their accumulated in-gameassets to Player 1, which removes the in-game asset from Player 2'sinventory. In some implementations, a player may be limited to providingor requesting a predetermined number of in-game assets during aparticular time period.

In other embodiments, Player 2 does not have the requested in-game asset(e.g., the asset is not used in Game 2 or Player 2 has not yet acquiredthe in-game asset as a result of playing Game 2). In this situation, thegame may allow Player 2 to provide the requested in-game asset to Player1 even though Player 2 does not have the requested in-game asset.

In a particular embodiment, Player 1 and Player 2 are friends withdifferent gaming interests. Although they both like to play games, theyprefer different types of games. The systems and methods describedherein allow Player 1 and Player 2 to interact with each other whileplaying games, without requiring them to play the same game. Thus, thetwo players can exchange assets to support one another in theirrespective games, while each continues to play the game they prefer.

The example of FIG. 4 represents an example in-game asset transferbetween players of two different games. In alternate embodiments,similar procedures are used to by a single player to transfer assetsbetween two games played by that single player. For example, a playermay transfer virtual currency, goods, or energy from a first game playedby the player to a second game played by the same player. Additionally,the player may transfer assets between different versions of the samegame (e.g., between a first generation of a particular game and a secondgeneration of the same game).

FIG. 5 is a flow diagram of a method 500, in accordance with anembodiment, of transferring an in-game asset between two differentgames. Different games may have distinct rules and distinct game playactivities. Additionally, different games may include in-gameenvironments that are thematically different. In particular embodiments,different games are administered by distinct game engines or gamingsystems. In other embodiments, the same gaming system may implementmultiple different games. Different games may further include differentversions of a game (e.g., version 1 of a game having specific rules andgame play activities, and version 2 of the game having different rulesand/or game play activities).

A first user (User 1) initiates a transfer mechanism in a first game(Game 1) to request an in-game asset needed in Game 1 at 502. In variousembodiments, the transfer mechanism may be implemented as a vehicle(e.g., a train, truck, boat, airplane or space ship), a deliverycontainer (e.g., a shipping box or envelope), a building or structure(e.g., a delivery office or a post office), a portal (e.g., a door orgate), or other object associated with the transfer of an in-game asset.In a particular example, User 1 initiates a transfer mechanism byproviding an in-game asset request to the transfer mechanism.

Method 500 continues as the transfer mechanism in Game 1 communicateswith a corresponding transfer mechanism in Game 2 at 504. In particularembodiments, the transfer mechanisms in Game 1 and Game 2 areimplemented in the same manner (e.g., both transfer mechanisms areshipping boxes). In other embodiments, the transfer mechanism isimplemented differently in each game (e.g., the Game 1 transfermechanism is a boat and the Game 2 transfer mechanism is a post office).The communication between the transfer mechanisms includes, for example,identification of the request, the player requesting the asset, and theasset associated with the request.

As a result of the communication at 504, the transfer mechanism in Game2 displays the request to a second user (User 2) playing Game 2 at 506.In particular embodiments, the request is displayed graphically in thetransfer mechanism. For example, if the transfer mechanism is a vehicle,the request may be delivered by a vehicle. Alternatively, the transfermechanism may provide a separate visual indicator representing thereceived request (e.g., flashing lights on a vehicle or a “message”indicator at a delivery office). In other embodiments, indication of therequest is provided by audible sound or other indicator instead of (orin addition to) the visual indicator.

User 2 responds to the received request by providing the requestedin-game asset to the transfer mechanism in Game 2 at 508. In particularembodiments, User 2 deposits a graphical representation of the in-gameasset (such as a coin or tool icon) into the transfer mechanism or areceptacle associated with the transfer mechanism. For example, User 2may drag and drop an in-game asset onto a train or into an envelope tofacilitate a transfer of the in-game asset to the requesting user (User1). In other embodiments, User 2 responds to the received request byactivating a button, icon or other visual indicator that acknowledgesUser 2's desire to transfer the in-game asset to User 1. In particularembodiments, User 2 receives in-game currency (or other in-game assethaving value in Game 2) in exchange for providing the requested asset at510. User 2 may receive a pre-determined in-game asset or may have theoption to select among multiple in-game assets. The in-game assetprovided to User 2 has value in Game 2, but does not necessarily havevalue in Game 1. In alternate embodiments, User 2 does not receive anyin-game currency or other in-game asset in exchange for providing therequested asset to User 1. In these alternate embodiments, User 2 isproviding the requested in-game asset to User 1 as a gift.

Method 500 continues as the transfer mechanism in Game 2 communicateswith the corresponding transfer mechanism in Game 1 by indicating thatUser 2 provided the requested in-game asset at 512. In response to thiscommunication, the transfer mechanism in Game 1 provides the requestedin-game asset to User 1 at 514. In particular embodiments the requestedin-game asset is provided to User 1 by presenting a visual indicatorthrough, for example, the transfer mechanism. For example, if thetransfer mechanism is a boat, the visual indicator may include a boatarriving at a port or dock containing the requested in-game asset.Alternatively, the transfer mechanism may provide a visual indicator(e.g., a flashing light or notification message) identifying receipt ofthe requested in-game asset.

FIG. 6 is a flow diagram of a method 600, in accordance with anembodiment, of using an in-game virtual train to transfer in-game assetsbetween two different games. In particular embodiments, the trainrepresents the transfer mechanism discussed above with respect to FIG.5. Initially, User 1 generates an in-game asset request and associatesthe request with a train in Game 1 at 602. For example, the user mayplace a visual indicator of a request in the train or otherwise initiatea request for an in-game asset with the train. After associating thein-game asset request with the train, User 1 sends the train from Game 1to User 2 playing Game 2 at 604. This sending of the train by User 1 isalso referred to as “dispatching” the train. The train travels from Game1 to Game 2 at 606, thereby transporting (or communicating) the in-gameasset request from User 1 to Game 2. In particular embodiments, themovement of the train from Game 1 to Game 2 is represented graphicallyto User 1 as a train leaving a train station in Game 1, and representedgraphically to User 2 as a train arriving at a train station in Game 2.

After the train travels from Game 1 to Game 2, a corresponding train isdisplayed to User 2 in Game 2 at 608. This corresponding train displaysthe in-game asset request from User 1 that was generated in Game 1. Thein-game asset request may appear, for example, as an item carried by thetrain or as another indicator that identifies the existence of therequest associated with the train to User 2. Method 600 continues asUser 2 responds to the displayed train by loading the requested in-gameasset onto the train and sending the train back to User 1 at 610. Forexample, User 2 may load the requested in-game asset onto the train bydragging and dropping the requested in-game asset from an inventory (orother asset store) and activating a visual indicator to send the trainto User 1 in Game 1. Alternatively, User 2 may select a visual indicatoror perform another activity that loads the requested in-game asset ontothe train and sends the train to User 1 in Game 1.

After User 2 has loaded the requested in-game asset onto the train, thetrain travels from Game 2 to Game 1 at 612. The train delivers therequested in-game asset to User 1 in Game 1 at 614. In particularembodiments, the requested in-game asset appears as an item carried bythe train. In other embodiments, the train includes another indicatorthat identifies the existence of the in-game asset on the train. User 1can unload (or otherwise retrieve) the in-game asset from the train, forexample, by clicking on the train or performing another activity thatmakes the in-game asset available for use by User 1. In alternateembodiments, the in-game asset is automatically unloaded from the trainand provided to User 1 (e.g., placed in User 1's inventory) when thetrain arrives in Game 1.

FIG. 7 is a flow diagram of a method 700, in accordance with anembodiment, of providing an in-game asset to a user based on game playactivity. Initially, a user plays a first game (Game 1) through a gamingservice at 702. The gaming service invites the user to earn an in-gameasset having value in Game 1 by playing Game 2 at 704. To earn thein-game asset, the user needs to play Game 2 to a particular level orcomplete one or more specified activities. For example, the user mayneed to advance to a tenth level in Game 2 to earn fuel (the in-gameasset) for use in Game 1. Alternatively, the user may need to buildthree buildings and grow five plots of crops in Game 2 to earn sevengold coins (the in-game asset) for use in Game 1.

Method 700 continues as the user accepts the invitation to play Game 2at 706. The user plays Game 2 for a period of time at 708. The user mayplay Game 2 immediately after receiving the invitation from the gamingservice or at a future time. The user may play Game 2 for a singlesession or play Game 2 repeatedly during multiple sessions. After theuser has played Game 2 during one or more sessions, the gaming serviceanalyzes the user's play activity in Game 2 at 710. For example, thegaming service determines whether the user's play activity in Game 2satisfies one or more requirements associated with earning the in-gameasset. If the user has earned the in-game asset at 712, the gamingservice awards the in-game asset to the user at 714 for application inGame 1. For example, if the user earns seven gold coins based on theirgame play in Game 2, those gold coins are added to the user's inventory(or other asset store) in Game 1. In particular embodiments, the in-gameasset is provided to the user through a visual expression of a transfermechanism of the type discussed herein. If the user has not yet earnedthe in-game asset at 712, the gaming service invites the user at 716 tocontinue playing Game 2 until the requirements are satisfied to earn thein-game asset. For example, the gaming service may send the user anemail message, text message, in-game message, or other communicationreminding the user to continue playing Game 2 to earn the in-game asset.

FIG. 8 illustrates an example data flow between the components of system800. In particular embodiments, system 800 can include client system830, social networking system 820 a, and game networking system 820 b.The components of system 800 can be connected to each other in anysuitable configuration, using any suitable type of connection. Thecomponents may be connected directly or over any suitable network.Client system 830, social networking system 820 a, and game networkingsystem 820 b can each have one or more corresponding data stores such aslocal data store 825, social data store 845, and game data store 865,respectively. Social networking system 820 a and game networking system820 b can also have one or more servers that can communicate with clientsystem 830 over an appropriate network. Social networking system 820 aand game networking system 820 b can have, for example, one or moreinternet servers for communicating with client system 830 via theInternet. Similarly, social networking system 820 a and game networkingsystem 820 b can have one or more mobile servers for communicating withclient system 830 via a mobile network (e.g., GSM (Global System forMobile Communications), PCS (Personal Communication Services), Wi-Fi,WPAN, etc.). In some embodiments, one server may be able to communicatewith client system 830 over both the Internet and a mobile network. Inother embodiments, separate servers can be used.

Client system 830 can receive and transmit data 823 to and from gamenetworking system 820 b. This data can include, for example, webpages,messages, game inputs, game displays, HTTP packets, data requests,transaction information, updates, and other suitable data. At some othertime, or at the same time, game networking system 820 b can communicatedata 843, 847 (e.g., game state information, game system accountinformation, page info, messages, data requests, updates, etc.) withother networking systems, such as social networking system 820 a (e.g.,Facebook, Myspace, etc.). Client system 830 can also receive andtransmit data 827 to and from social networking system 820 a. This datacan include, for example, webpages, messages, social graph information,social network displays, HTTP packets, data requests, transactioninformation, updates, and other suitable data.

Communication between client system 830, social networking system 820 a,and game networking system 820 b can occur over any appropriateelectronic communication medium or network using any suitablecommunications protocols. For example, client system 830, as well asvarious servers of the systems described herein, may include TransportControl Protocol/Internet Protocol (TCP/IP) networking stacks to providefor datagram and transport functions. Of course, any other suitablenetwork and transport layer protocols can be utilized.

In addition, hosts or end-systems described herein may use a variety ofhigher layer communications protocols, including client-server (orrequest-response) protocols (such as HTTP) and other communicationsprotocols (such as HTTP-S, FTP (File Transfer Protocol), SNMP (SimpleNetwork Management Protocol), TELNET, and a number of other protocols),may be used. In addition, a server in one interaction context may be aclient in another interaction context. In particular embodiments, theinformation transmitted between hosts may be formatted as HyperTextMarkup Language (HTML) documents. Other structured document languages orformats can be used, such as XML (Extensible Markup Language), and thelike. Executable code objects, such as JavaScript and ActionScript, canalso be embedded in the structured documents.

In some client-server protocols, such as the use of HTML over HTTP, aserver generally transmits a response to a request from a client. Theresponse may comprise one or more data objects. For example, theresponse may comprise a first data object, followed by subsequentlytransmitted data objects. In particular embodiments, a client requestmay cause a server to respond with a first data object, such as an HTMLpage, which itself refers to other data objects. A client application,such as a browser, will request these additional data objects as itparses or otherwise processes the first data object.

In particular embodiments, an instance of an online game can be storedas a set of game state parameters that characterize the state of variousin-game objects, such as, for example, player character stateparameters, non-player character parameters, and virtual itemparameters. In particular embodiments, game state is maintained in adatabase as a serialized, unstructured string of text data as aso-called Binary Large Object (BLOB). When a player accesses an onlinegame on game networking system 820 b, the BLOB containing the game statefor the instance corresponding to the player can be transmitted toclient system 830 for use by a client-side executed object to process.In particular embodiments, the client-side executable may be aFLASH-based game, which can de-serialize the game state data in theBLOB. As a player plays the game, the game logic implemented at clientsystem 830 maintains and modifies the various game state parameterslocally. The client-side game logic may also batch game events, such asmouse clicks, and transmit these events to game networking system 820 b.Game networking system 820 b may itself operate by retrieving a copy ofthe BLOB from a database or an intermediate memory cache (memcache)layer. Game networking system 820 b can also de-serialize the BLOB toresolve the game state parameters and execute its own game logic basedon the events in the batch file of events transmitted by the client tosynchronize the game state on the server side. Game networking system820 b may then re-serialize the game state, now modified, into a BLOBand pass this to a memory cache layer for lazy updates to a persistentdatabase.

With a client-server environment in which the online games may run, oneserver system, such as game networking system 820 b, may supportmultiple client systems 830. At any given time, there may be multipleplayers at multiple client systems 830 all playing the same online game.In practice, the number of players playing the same game at the sametime may be very large. As the game progresses with each player,multiple players may provide different inputs to the online game attheir respective client systems 830, and multiple client systems 830 maytransmit multiple player inputs and/or game events to game networkingsystem 820 b for further processing. In addition, multiple clientsystems 830 may transmit other types of application data to gamenetworking system 820 b.

In particular embodiments, a computer-implemented game may be atext-based or turn-based game implemented as a series of web pages thatare generated after a player selects one or more actions to perform. Theweb pages may be displayed in a browser client executed on client system830. As an example and not by way of limitation, a client applicationdownloaded to client system 830 may operate to serve a set of webpagesto a player. As another example and not by way of limitation, acomputer-implemented game may be an animated or rendered game executableas a stand-alone application or within the context of a webpage or otherstructured document. In particular embodiments, the computer-implementedgame may be implemented using Adobe Flash-based technologies. As anexample and not by way of limitation, a game may be fully or partiallyimplemented as a SWF object that is embedded in a web page andexecutable by a Flash media player plug-in. In particular embodiments,one or more described webpages may be associated with or accessed bysocial networking system 820 a. This disclosure contemplates using anysuitable application for the retrieval and rendering of structureddocuments hosted by any suitable network-addressable resource orwebsite.

Application event data of a game is any data relevant to the game (e.g.,player inputs). In particular embodiments, each application datum mayhave a name and a value, and the value of the application datum maychange (i.e., be updated) at any time. When an update to an applicationdatum occurs at client system 830, either caused by an action of a gameplayer or by the game logic itself, client system 830 may need to informgame networking system 820 b of the update. For example, if the game isa farming game with a harvest mechanic (such as Zynga FarmVille), anevent can correspond to a player clicking on a parcel of land to harvesta crop. In such an instance, the application event data may identify anevent or action (e.g., harvest) and an object in the game to which theevent or action applies. For illustration purposes and not by way oflimitation, system 800 is discussed in reference to updating amulti-player online game hosted on a network-addressable system (suchas, for example, social networking system 820 a or game networkingsystem 820 b), where an instance of the online game is executed remotelyon a client system 830, which then transmits application event data tothe hosting system such that the remote game server synchronizes gamestate associated with the instance executed by the client system 830.

In particular embodiments, one or more objects of a game may berepresented as an Adobe Flash object. Flash may manipulate vector andraster graphics, and supports bidirectional streaming of audio andvideo. “Flash” may mean the authoring environment, the player, or theapplication files. In particular embodiments, client system 830 mayinclude a Flash client. The Flash client may be configured to receiveand run Flash application or game object code from any suitablenetworking system (such as, for example, social networking system 820 aor game networking system 820 b). In particular embodiments, the Flashclient may be run in a browser client executed on client system 830. Aplayer can interact with Flash objects using client system 830 and theFlash client. The Flash objects can represent a variety of in-gameobjects. Thus, the player may perform various in-game actions on variousin-game objects by making various changes and updates to the associatedFlash objects. In particular embodiments, in-game actions can beinitiated by clicking or similarly interacting with a Flash object thatrepresents a particular in-game object. For example, a player caninteract with a Flash object to use, move, rotate, delete, attack,shoot, or harvest an in-game object. This disclosure contemplatesperforming any suitable in-game action by interacting with any suitableFlash object. In particular embodiments, when the player makes a changeto a Flash object representing an in-game object, the client-executedgame logic may update one or more game state parameters associated withthe in-game object. To ensure synchronization between the Flash objectshown to the player at client system 830, the Flash client may send theevents that caused the game state changes to the in-game object to gamenetworking system 820 b. However, to expedite the processing and hencethe speed of the overall gaming experience, the Flash client may collecta batch of some number of events or updates into a batch file. Thenumber of events or updates may be determined by the Flash clientdynamically or determined by game networking system 820 b based onserver loads or other factors. For example, client system 830 may send abatch file to game networking system 820 b whenever 50 updates have beencollected or after a threshold period of time, such as every minute.

As used herein, the term “application event data” may refer to any datarelevant to a computer-implemented game application that may affect oneor more game state parameters, including, for example and withoutlimitation, changes to player data or metadata, changes to player socialconnections or contacts, player inputs to the game, and events generatedby the game logic. In particular embodiments, each application datum mayhave a name and a value. The value of an application datum may change atany time in response to the game play of a player or in response to thegame engine (e.g., based on the game logic). In particular embodiments,an application data update occurs when the value of a specificapplication datum is changed. In particular embodiments, eachapplication event datum may include an action or event name and a value(such as an object identifier). Thus, each application datum may berepresented as a name-value pair in the batch file. The batch file mayinclude a collection of name-value pairs representing the applicationdata that have been updated at client system 830. In particularembodiments, the batch file may be a text file and the name-value pairsmay be in string format.

In particular embodiments, when a player plays an online game on clientsystem 830, game networking system 820 b may serialize all thegame-related data, including, for example and without limitation, gamestates, game events, and user inputs, for this particular user and thisparticular game into a BLOB and store the BLOB in a database. The BLOBmay be associated with an identifier that indicates that the BLOBcontains the serialized game-related data for a particular player and aparticular online game. In particular embodiments, while a player is notplaying the online game, the corresponding BLOB may be stored in thedatabase. This enables a player to stop playing the game at any timewithout losing the current state of the game the player is in. When aplayer resumes playing the game next time, game networking system 820 bmay retrieve the corresponding BLOB from the database to determine themost-recent values of the game-related data. In particular embodiments,while a player is playing the online game, game networking system 820 bmay also load the corresponding BLOB into a memory cache so that thegame system may have faster access to the BLOB and the game-related datacontained therein.

Systems and Methods

In particular embodiments, one or more described webpages may beassociated with a networking system or networking service. However,alternate embodiments may have application to the retrieval andrendering of structured documents hosted by any type of networkaddressable resource or web site. Additionally, as used herein, a usermay be an individual, a group, or an entity (such as a business or thirdparty application).

Particular embodiments may operate in a WAN environment, such as theInternet, including multiple network addressable systems. FIG. 9illustrates an example network environment 900, in which various exampleembodiments may operate. Network cloud 960 generally represents one ormore interconnected networks, over which the systems and hosts describedherein can communicate. Network cloud 960 may include packet-based WANs(such as the Internet), private networks, wireless networks, satellitenetworks, cellular networks, paging networks, and the like. As FIG. 9illustrates, particular embodiments may operate in a network environmentcomprising one or more networking systems, such as social networkingsystem 920 a, game networking system 920 b, and one or more clientsystems 930. The components of social networking system 920 a and gamenetworking system 920 b operate analogously; as such, hereinafter theymay be referred to simply at networking system 920. Client systems 930are operably connected to the network environment via a network serviceprovider, a wireless carrier, or any other suitable means.

Networking system 920 is a network addressable system that, in variousexample embodiments, comprises one or more physical servers 922 and datastores 924. The one or more physical servers 922 are operably connectedto network cloud 960 via, by way of example, a set of routers and/ornetworking switches 926. In an example embodiment, the functionalityhosted by the one or more physical servers 922 may include web or HTTPservers, FTP servers, as well as, without limitation, webpages andapplications implemented using Common Gateway Interface (CGI) script,PHP Hyper-text Preprocessor (PHP), Active Server Pages (ASP), HTML, XML,Java, JavaScript, Asynchronous JavaScript and XML (AJAX), Flash,ActionScript, and the like.

Physical servers 922 may host functionality directed to the operationsof networking system 920. Hereinafter servers 922 may be referred to asserver 922, although server 922 may include numerous servers hosting,for example, networking system 920, as well as other contentdistribution servers, data stores, and databases. Data store 924 maystore content and data relating to, and enabling, operation ofnetworking system 920 as digital data objects. A data object, inparticular embodiments, is an item of digital information typicallystored or embodied in a data file, database, or record. Content objectsmay take many forms, including: text (e.g., ASCII, SGML, HTML), images(e.g., jpeg, tif and gif), graphics (vector-based or bitmap), audio,video (e.g., mpeg), or other multimedia, and combinations thereof.Content object data may also include executable code objects (e.g.,games executable within a browser window or frame), podcasts, and thelike. Logically, data store 924 corresponds to one or more of a varietyof separate and integrated databases, such as relational databases andobject-oriented databases, that maintain information as an integratedcollection of logically related records or files stored on one or morephysical systems. Structurally, data store 924 may generally include oneor more of a large class of data storage and management systems. Inparticular embodiments, data store 924 may be implemented by anysuitable physical system(s) including components, such as one or moredatabase servers, mass storage media, media library systems, storagearea networks, data storage clouds, and the like. In one exampleembodiment, data store 924 includes one or more servers, databases(e.g., MySQL), and/or data warehouses. Data store 924 may include dataassociated with different networking system 920 users and/or clientsystems 930.

Client system 930 is generally a computer or computing device includingfunctionality for communicating (e.g., remotely) over a computernetwork. Client system 930 may be a desktop computer, laptop computer,personal digital assistant (PDA), in- or out-of-car navigation system,smart phone or other cellular or mobile phone, or mobile gaming device,among other suitable computing devices. Client system 930 may executeone or more client applications, such as a web browser (e.g., MicrosoftInternet Explorer, Mozilla Firefox, Apple Safari, Google Chrome, andOpera), to access and view content over a computer network. Inparticular embodiments, the client applications allow a user of clientsystem 930 to enter addresses of specific network resources to beretrieved, such as resources hosted by networking system 920. Theseaddresses can be Uniform Resource Locators (URLs) and the like. Inaddition, once a page or other resource has been retrieved, the clientapplications may provide access to other pages or records when the user“clicks” on hyperlinks to other resources. By way of example, suchhyperlinks may be located within the webpages and provide an automatedway for the user to enter the URL of another page and to retrieve thatpage.

A webpage or resource embedded within a webpage, which may itselfinclude multiple embedded resources, may include data records, such asplain textual information, or more complex digitally encoded multimediacontent, such as software programs or other code objects, graphics,images, audio signals, videos, and so forth. One prevalent markuplanguage for creating webpages is HTML. Other common webbrowser-supported languages and technologies include XML, the ExtensibleHypertext Markup Language (XHTML), JavaScript, Flash, ActionScript,Cascading Style Sheet (CSS), and, frequently, Java. By way of example,HTML enables a page developer to create a structured document bydenoting structural semantics for text and links, as well as images, webapplications, and other objects that can be embedded within the page.Generally, a webpage may be delivered to a client as a static document;however, through the use of web elements embedded in the page, aninteractive experience may be achieved with the page or a sequence ofpages. During a user session at the client, the web browser interpretsand displays the pages and associated resources received or retrievedfrom the website hosting the page, as well as, potentially, resourcesfrom other websites.

When a user at a client system 930 desires to view a particular webpage(hereinafter also referred to as target structured document) hosted bynetworking system 920, the user's web browser, or other documentrendering engine or suitable client application, formulates andtransmits a request to networking system 920. The request generallyincludes a URL or other document identifier as well as metadata or otherinformation. By way of example, the request may include informationidentifying the user, such as a user identification, as well asinformation identifying or characterizing the web browser or operatingsystem running on the user's client computing device 930. The requestmay also include location information identifying a geographic locationof the user's client system or a logical network location of the user'sclient system. The request may also include a timestamp identifying whenthe request was transmitted.

Although the example network environment described above and illustratedin FIG. 9 is described with respect to social networking system 920 aand game networking system 920 b, this disclosure encompasses anysuitable network environment using any suitable systems. As an exampleand not by way of limitation, the network environment may include onlinemedia systems, online reviewing systems, online search engines, onlineadvertising systems, or any combination of two or more such systems.

FIG. 10 illustrates an example computing system architecture, which maybe used to implement a server 922 or a client system 930. In oneembodiment, a hardware system 1000 comprises a processor 1002, a cachememory 1004, and one or more executable modules and drivers, stored on atangible computer readable medium, directed to the functions describedherein. Additionally, hardware system 1000 may include a highperformance input/output (I/O) bus 1006 and a standard I/O bus 1008. Ahost bridge 1010 may couple processor 1002 to high performance I/O bus1006, whereas I/O bus bridge 1012 couples the two buses 1006 and 1008 toeach other. A system memory 1014 and one or more network/communicationinterfaces 1016 may couple to bus 1006. Hardware system 1000 may furtherinclude video memory (not shown) and a display device coupled to thevideo memory. Mass storage 1018 and I/O ports 1020 may couple to bus1008. Hardware system 1000 may optionally include a keyboard, a pointingdevice, and a display device (not shown) coupled to bus 1008.Collectively, these elements are intended to represent a broad categoryof computer hardware systems, including, but not limited to, generalpurpose computer systems based on the x86-compatible processorsmanufactured by Intel Corporation of Santa Clara, Calif., and thex86-compatible processors manufactured by Advanced Micro Devices (AMD),Inc., of Sunnyvale, Calif., as well as any other suitable processor.

The elements of hardware system 1000 are described in greater detailbelow. In particular, network interface 1016 provides communicationbetween hardware system 1000 and any of a wide range of networks, suchas an Ethernet (e.g., IEEE 802.3) network, a backplane, and the like.Mass storage 1018 provides permanent storage for the data andprogramming instructions to perform the above-described functionsimplemented in servers 922, whereas system memory 1014 (e.g., DRAM(Dynamic Random Access Memory)) provides temporary storage for the dataand programming instructions when executed by processor 1002. I/O ports1020 are one or more serial and/or parallel communication ports thatprovide communication between additional peripheral devices, which maybe coupled to hardware system 1000.

Hardware system 1000 may include a variety of system architectures, andvarious components of hardware system 1000 may be rearranged. Forexample, cache 1004 may be on-chip with processor 1002. Alternatively,cache 1004 and processor 1002 may be packed together as a “processormodule,” with processor 1002 being referred to as the “processor core.”Furthermore, certain embodiments of the present disclosure may notrequire nor include all of the above components. For example, theperipheral devices shown coupled to standard I/O bus 1008 may couple tohigh performance I/O bus 1006. In addition, in some embodiments, only asingle bus may exist, with the components of hardware system 1000 beingcoupled to the single bus. Furthermore, hardware system 1000 may includeadditional components, such as additional processors, storage devices,or memories.

An operating system manages and controls the operation of hardwaresystem 1000, including the input and output of data to and from softwareapplications (not shown). The operating system provides an interfacebetween the software applications being executed on the system and thehardware components of the system. Any suitable operating system may beused, such as the LINUX Operating System, the Apple Macintosh OperatingSystem, available from Apple Computer Inc. of Cupertino, Calif., UNIXoperating systems, Microsoft CD Windows® operating systems, BSDoperating systems, and the like. Of course, other embodiments arepossible. For example, the functions described herein may be implementedin firmware or on an application-specific integrated circuit.

Furthermore, the above-described elements and operations can becomprised of instructions that are stored on non-transitory storagemedia. The instructions can be retrieved and executed by a processingsystem. Some examples of instructions are software, program code, andfirmware. Some examples of non-transitory storage media are memorydevices, tape, disks, integrated circuits, and servers. The instructionsare operational when executed by the processing system to direct theprocessing system to operate in accord with the disclosure. The term“processing system” refers to a single processing device or a group ofinter-operational processing devices. Some examples of processingdevices are integrated circuits and logic circuitry. Those skilled inthe art are familiar with instructions, computers, and storage media.

One or more features from any embodiment may be combined with one ormore features of any other embodiment without departing from the scopeof the disclosure. A recitation of “a,” “an,” or “the” is intended tomean “one or more” unless specifically indicated to the contrary. Inaddition, it is to be understood that functional operations, such as“awarding,” “locating,” “permitting,” and the like, are executed by gameapplication logic that accesses, and/or causes changes to, various dataattribute values maintained in a database or other memory.

The present disclosure encompasses all changes, substitutions,variations, alterations, and modifications to the example embodimentsherein that a person having ordinary skill in the art would comprehend.Similarly, where appropriate, the appended claims encompass all changes,substitutions, variations, alterations, and modifications to the exampleembodiments herein that a person having ordinary skill in the art wouldcomprehend.

For example, the methods, game features and game mechanics describedherein may be implemented using hardware components, softwarecomponents, and/or any combination thereof. By way of example, whileembodiments of the present disclosure have been described as operatingin connection with a networking website, various embodiments of thepresent disclosure can be used in connection with any communicationsfacility that supports web applications. Furthermore, in someembodiments the term “web service” and “website” may be usedinterchangeably and may additionally refer to a custom or generalizedAPI (Application Programming Interface) on a device, such as a mobiledevice (e.g., cellular phone, smart phone, personal GPS (GlobalPositioning System), PDA, personal gaming device, and the like), thatmakes API calls directly to a server. Still further, while theembodiments described above operate with business-related virtualobjects (such as stores and restaurants), the described systems andmethods can be applied to any in-game asset around which a harvestmechanic is implemented, such as a virtual stove, a plot of land, andthe like. The specification and drawings are, accordingly, to beregarded in an illustrative rather than a restrictive sense. It will,however, be evident that various modifications and changes may be madethereunto without departing from the broader spirit and scope of thedisclosure as set forth in the claims and that the disclosure isintended to cover all modifications and equivalents within the scope ofthe following claims.

Thus, methods and systems for transferring assets between games havebeen described. Although the methods and systems have been describedwith reference to specific example embodiments, it will be evident thatvarious modifications and changes may be made to these embodimentswithout departing from the broader spirit and scope of the invention.Accordingly, the specification and drawings are to be regarded in anillustrative rather than a restrictive sense.

In the foregoing description, it can be seen that various features aregrouped together in a single embodiment for the purpose of streamliningthe disclosure. This method of disclosure is not to be interpreted asreflecting an intention that the claimed embodiments require morefeatures than are expressly recited in each claim. Rather, as thefollowing claims reflect, inventive subject matter lies in less than allfeatures of a single disclosed embodiment. Thus the following claims arehereby incorporated into the description, with each claim standing onits own as a separate embodiment.

What is claimed is:
 1. A method comprising: generating a visual expression of a transfer mechanism in a first computer-implemented game; and responsive to a first user initiating an in-game asset request through the transfer mechanism in the first computer-implemented game, causing a second computer-implemented game to generate the visual expression of the transfer mechanism in the second computer-implemented game, the second computer-implemented game being different than the first computer-implemented game, the in-game asset request requesting an in game asset from a second user playing the second computer-implemented game.
 2. The method of claim 1, wherein transferring the in-game asset is initiated in response to receiving a transfer request from a second user playing the second computer-implemented game.
 3. The method of claim 2, wherein transferring the in-game asset includes adding the in-game asset to an inventory associated with the second user playing the second computer-implemented game.
 4. The method of claim 1, wherein the visual expression of the transfer mechanism is a vehicle that transfers the in-game asset from the first computer-implemented game to the second computer-implemented game.
 5. The method of claim 1, wherein the visual expression of the transfer mechanism is a building that receives the in-game asset in the first computer-implemented game and delivers the in-game asset in the second computer-implemented game.
 6. The method of claim 1, wherein the visual expression of the transfer mechanism is a delivery container that receives the in-game asset in the first computer-implemented game and delivers the in-game asset in the second computer-implemented game.
 7. The method of claim 1, wherein the visual expression of the transfer mechanism is a portal that transfers the in-game asset from the first computer-implemented game to the second computer-implemented game.
 8. The method of claim 1, wherein the in-game asset has value in both the first computer-implemented game and the second computer-implemented game.
 9. The method of claim 1, wherein the in-game asset has value in the second computer-implemented game and has no value in the first computer-implemented game.
 10. The method of claim 1, wherein the in-game asset has a greater value in the second computer-implemented game than in the first computer-implemented game.
 11. The method of claim 1, wherein the second computer-implemented game is played by a second user, the first and second users being first order friends in a social network.
 12. The method of claim 1, wherein the first computer-implemented game and the second computer-implemented game are interactive social games.
 13. The method of claim 1, wherein the in-game asset is an in-game item having utility in the second computer-implemented game.
 14. A method comprising: receiving an in-game asset request from a first computer-implemented game being played by a first user, the in-game asset having value in the first computer-implemented game, the in-game asset request requesting an in game asset from a second user playing a second computer-implemented game; communicating, using one or more processors, the in-game asset request to the second computer-implemented game as a visual expression of a transfer mechanism responsive to receiving the request for the in-game asset, the second computer-implemented game being different than the first computer-implemented game; and receiving the requested in-game asset from the second computer-implemented game, the in-game asset being made available to the first user of the first computer-implemented game.
 15. The method of claim 14, wherein the in-game asset is an in-game item having utility in the first computer-implemented game.
 16. The method of claim 14, wherein the in-game asset is an in-game item placed into an in-game environment of the first computer-implemented game.
 17. The method of claim 14, wherein the first and second computer-implemented games are interactive social games.
 18. A game system comprising: an interface to communicate with players of a game; a memory to store data associated with the game; and one or more processors coupled to the interface and the memory, the one or more processors configured to: receive an in-game asset request from a first computer-implemented game being played by a first user, the in-game asset having value in the first computer-implemented game, the in-game asset request requesting an in game asset from a second user playing a second computer-implemented game; communicating, using one or more processors, the in-game asset request to the second computer-implemented game as a visual expression of a transfer mechanism responsive to receiving the request for the in-game asset; identify the requested in-game asset in the first second computer-implemented game, the second computer-implemented game being different than the first computer-implemented game; and communicate the requested in-game asset to the first computer-implemented game, the in-game asset being made available for use by the user of the first computer-implemented game.
 19. The game system of claim 18, wherein the requested in-game asset is an in-game item having utility in the first computer-implemented game. 